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Latest News

All the latest news from Steatite

Pressure tolerant battery

Pressure tolerant battery project successfully achieves objectives

The two year program to develop a pressure tolerant Lithium Sulfur (Li-S) battery pack capable of powering autonomous vehicles to ocean depths of over 6,000 metres has successfully accomplished the objectives set down in 2015.

A consortium headed by Steatite and comprising OXIS Energy, MSubs and the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) completed the ambitious project with trials using the newly developed battery pack integrated into a deep dive autonomous vehicle (pictured).

The cells and Steatite’s brand new multi chemistry battery management system (BMS) can withstand the extreme pressure of 664 bars (equivalent to a water depth of 6,640 metres) and a temperature of 4°C without being compromised on integrity.

One of the objectives of the project was to use the neutral buoyancy of the cells to reduce the requirement of adding buoyancy foam to the vehicle. This proved successful, resulting in potential cost, weight and volume savings.

Discussing the project, Paul Edwards, Divisional Director of Steatite Batteries, said: “The project provided a number of challenges which have all been overcome though the hard work and determination of the consortium members. With valuable domain expertise and test resource provided by our academic partners at the NOC, through to successful sea trials and product integration by MSubs, the group can be proud of the world class achievements and capabilities it has delivered.

The Steatite Battery Management System and battery pack design enables a broad range of applications, and we are now looking toward the next phase which will see our battery packs successfully deployed in long term marine autonomous applications. “

A final project update will be released soon. If you would like to receive this please register your email address at https://steatite.co.uk/masupdates

Dual PTT for MPU5 MANET radio

Steatite to offer new Dual PTT for MPU5 radio

We are proud to offer the new Dual Channel Push To Talk (Dual PTT) device from Persistent Systems for the MPU5 secure MANET radio.  The Dual PTT will allow the MPU5’s audio capabilities to reach their full potential.

The Dual PTT allows the user to quickly and easily select between 16 talk groups as well as control volume levels for each talk group independently.  When paired with a stereo headset, the two selected talk groups are heard in the left and right ears, and the volume level in each ear can be controlled independently.

With the MPU5 and Dual PTT, a single MPU5 can communicate on two talk groups either independently or simultaneously. In the past, when a user needed to communicate with two different groups (channels) of users, that user needed to carry two separate Land Mobile Radios (LMRs). Therefore, the MPU5 and Dual PTT significantly reduces size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) burdens on users.

This is possible because the MPU5 is an IP radio, where talk groups are multicast addresses, instead of an LMR radio, where channels are different RF frequencies.

The ability to carry one radio instead of two will not only save money, but will also reduce the load on the soldier, a critical advantage for today’s military personnel.

Read more here

Spectracom VersaPNT

Introducing the VersaPNT from Spectracom

We are proud to announce that the new Spectracom VersaPNT has been added to our range of GNSS products.

If your application operates in GPS-denied environments or is subject to jamming and spoofing, the VersaPNT will make your system resilient against unwanted surprises.

VersaPNT offers assured positioning, navigation and timing in a compact, single solution. It is accurate in all conditions, even in GPS-denied environments, and ideal for airborne, ground and marine/naval applications.

For further details please take a look at the VersaPNT product page.

 

Steatite launches new company website

Development work on our new company website is now complete and we are delighted to announce that this is now live.

Designed to be quick and easy to navigate, the new website makes it much simpler to find the information you need with just a few clicks.

All sections can be accessed directly from the imagery on the homepage, and the main menu is now replaced with a slide out menu located to the top right hand side of the screen.

For added confidence the website has also been made more secure with the implementation of https, which means that all communications between your browser and the website are encrypted.

Brand new company video

After 3 days of filming and many hours of editing, the brand new Steatite company video is now complete. The video aims to provide an overview of the company by focusing on each of Steatite’s business units in turn. If you have a spare two and a half minutes, please click the link and take a look.  Steatite company video

Our parent company Solid State PLC has also been busy creating a group video. You can take a look at it here Solid State PLC group video

Steatite’s ‘state of the art’ Antennas facility officially opened in Leominster

Steatite Ltd is pleased to announce the opening of its new Antennas facility in Leominster, Herefordshire.

The Antennas business unit at Steatite was created through the acquisition of Q-par Angus Limited in May 2013.  Since the acquisition, the unit has developed ever more complex antenna solutions for its global client base through technological innovation and advanced design.  To support the growth of Steatite Antennas and to enable advancements in antenna testing, the operations moved to the new site in January 2017.

The new facility has been purpose built to enable the design, manufacture and testing of complex systems and contains a specialist near-field RF test chamber large enough to accommodate antennas with dish dimensions up to 3 meters in diameter.

The site was opened by the current Conservative Party candidate for North Herefordshire, Bill Wiggin.

Commenting on the opening, Matthew Richards, MD of Steatite, said:

“This is a world-class facility, incorporating some of the most advanced near-field testing capabilities in the UK. It represents a significant investment by the Company into its antennas business and will enable Steatite to remain at the cutting edge of antenna design, manufacture and testing.”

Lithium Sufur battery pack

MAS pressure tollerant battery pack – project update

With just 6 months remaining of a two year project, to develop a pressure tolerant battery pack capable of powering autonomous vehicles to ocean depths of 6,000m, the consortium, led by Steatite, has made tremendous advances in battery capability through extensive design and testing. The project is now moving towards full open water trials in two deep dive vehicles.

Take a look at the latest project update to find out more. https://steatite.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/MAS-Consortium-UPDATE-v2017_03_Rev1.pdf

 

 

Steatite announces new partnership with SOTI.

Steatite Ltd has partnered with SOTI in an agreement that will enable Soti’s Mobicontrol Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) software to be provided on Steatite’s complete range of rugged mobile computer hardware. SOTI is a proven product innovator and EMM Industry leader.

Over 17,000 customers across 170 countries rely on SOTI for their EMM needs. SOTI has been an industry leader in the MDM market for over two decades. Enterprise Mobility Management improves mobile worker productivity and makes their device more secure. SOTI delivers a comprehensive suite of mobile application management features.

By enabling over-the-air distribution, configuration, updating, and removal of apps from your enterprise library or public app store, SOTI helps IT teams ensure that device features on your business mobile devices conform to acceptable use policies.

IT administrators can enforce complex passwords, turn features on and off, implement hardware and OS restriction policies, and remotely lock and wipe devices. For mandatory business apps, SOTI can install/remove apps in the background, without the user even being aware of what is going on. And whitelists/blacklists provide an extra layer of control. SOTI gives your business a fully unified, fully curated application experience.

 

Rugged GPS Time & Frequency Reference – VITA 75

Precision time synchronisation is now proving essential to the implementation of many different types of modern electronic systems. As the exclusive UK distribution partner for Spectracom, Steatite can provide its customers with access to the latest innovative technology in this sector. VersaSync is a high performance GPS master clock and network time server that is capable of delivering accurate, software-configurable time and frequency signals under all circumstances, even in GNSS-denied scenarios. Supporting both precision time protocol (PTP) and network time protocol (NTP) synchronisation standards, this robust, military grade unit (MIL-STD-810G) can deal with the most uncompromising of operational environments. Thanks to its lightweight construction (0.91kg) the solution is highly portable, while a compact form factor (147.3mm x 127.5mm x 63.0mm) and VITA 75 compliant design both facilitate its integration with existing hardware. The unit’s I/Os can be configured to accommodate a variety of timecode formats, such as IRIG, HaveQuick, 1PPS, xPPS, etc. A diverse choice of GNSS receivers is also offered.

Each VersaSync unit has a built-in high stability oscillator/clock resource (either OCXO or CSAC based, depending on the degree of exactitude required) that enables time and frequency accuracy to be upheld for extended periods without GPS/GNSS support. Furthermore, it can be re-synchronised by an external reference if required. There are a wide array of different applications for which this timing solution is highly suited. These include large scale UAVs, military vehicles, radar equipment (civil or military) and marine (sonar systems), among others. The VersaSync units have an operational temperature range that covers -45°C to +85°C. They can also cope with 95% humidity levels and have strong resilience to shock (20g) and vibration (7.7g). Functioning at altitudes up to 13,000m, they are highly suited to airborne deployment.

For more information on VersaSync visit: www.steatite-embedded.co.uk/products/gps-time-sync/spectracom-versasync-accurate-time-and-frequency-in-all-conditions

Steatite announces new partnership with ADLINK Technology

Steatite, UK leaders in industrial computing products, are proud to announce a new partnership with ADLINK Technology, one of the world’s premier manufacturers of high end embedded computing solutions for use in industrial & military applications.

Who are ADLINK?
ADLINK Technology is a leading embedded computer manufacturer and a “Premier” member of the Intel IOT Solutions Alliance and has built an enviable reputation within the embedded computing community for leading edge, rugged and reliable computing solutions. With products ranging from  Computer-on-modules – SMARC, Q7, ETX, COM express, Motherboards, Single Board computers & PC-104 to Server Class high performance integrated platforms ADLINK manufactures solutions from device to edge and up to the cloud.

Below are just a few of the ADLINK products now available from Steatite, but if you have a particular requirement for your application, Steatite & ADLINK can assist you in finding the right solution for your project.

Military Grade Embedded Computers – Extreme Rugged COTS computers in a tiny VITA-75 footprint, ideal for ground, air and naval deployments.

Extreme Rugged COM Express Modules – Rugged, high performance COM Express modules rated for operation in environments up to -40 to +85°C

AdvancedTCA Solutions – High performance modular blade system that offers high-density processing, faster data throughput and intelligent system management.

PXI / PXI Express Solutions – PXI / PXIe is a deployment platform for measurement & automated test systems, ideal for environments in which reliability is critical.